Wimbledon legends: Bjorn Borg Wimbledon legends: Bjorn Borg Princy James - 18-06-2014 - View: 4841 Borg was Wimbledon´s first love, much before she courted Pete Sampras or Roger Federer. Remembering the great champion... Editors Thoughts There was a time when Tennis was all about the game, and had little to do with glamour. Along came a Swede with golden locks and ice cold countenance, redefining the ‘normal’ with his immaculate game; incidentally, he was equally gifted when it came to looks. Perhaps no other player galvanised the tennis crowd like Bjorn Borg, the first poster boy of tennis! Borg was Wimbledon’s first love, much before she courted Pete Sampras or Roger Federer. From 1976 to 1980, he dominated the Centre Court like no other. He was different from the lot - double-handed backhand, amazing footwork and heavy topspins - all these were new to the fans, not to mention his rockstar aspects. There was Beatlemania, and then, there was Borgmania!

Young British girls thronged the Centre Court to watch Borg play; when those frenzied teens ran into the courts to get closer to Borg, the media coined a term - ‘Borgasm’. In every way he was a sensation, changing the way people perceived the game. Grass wasn’t his favorite surface - his serve wasn’t as powerful as his contemporaries, yet he dominated on grass for five years! His first Wimbledon title came in 1976, when he defeated Romania’s Ilie Nastase in straight sets - 6-4, 6-2, 9-7. As a kid, Borg had always dreamed of playing at Wimbledon, and winning the tournament at 20 was more than what he desired. The win catapulted the young Swede to stardom and he was suddenly this billboard boy who could rake in millions with his name. He was the one who was responsible for taking tennis players' endorsement money to seven digits; the current players should be thanking Borg for being a catalyst factor in glamourising the game. In 1977, when Borg arrived at Wimbledon to defend his title, things weren't easy for the young champ.

He was almost beaten by Vitas Gerulaitis in a thrilling five set semi-final encounter. Borg’s opponent in the final was another American - the hard-hitting Jimmy Connors. Although Jimmy gave Borg a big scare, the Swede was able to defended his title - 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4. The following year, the only player who challenged Borg was Victor Amaya of USA, that too in the first round. Left-handed Amaya had a big serve, and he almost subdued Borg; but Borg had better control of the nerves and he came back from the brink of defeat to topple Amaya - 8-9, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3. Borg sailed through the rest of the rounds with great ease and in a repeat of the previous year’s final, he encountered Connors once again; but this time, he crushed the American in straight sets - 6-2, 6-2, 6-3. In 1979, it was Indian Vijay Amritraj who gave Borg the biggest scare, in the second round of the championship.

Amritraj had Borg down two sets to one when the match went to tie-break in the fourth. Unfortunately, Amritraj let the opportunity slip from his hand, and once again, a nonchalant Borg had the last laugh. In the final, he defeated Roscoe Tanner 6-7, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Borg lifted the Wimbledon trophy for the last time in 1980, when he defeated young American John McEnroe. That year’s final is regarded as one of the greatest finals ever played and also the best ever final played in Centre Court. Although the 2008 final between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer is considered by many as the best, those who watched the final between Borg and McEnroe would disagree. In a thrilling five set match, Borg managed to overcome McEnroe’s threat - 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7, 8-6. It was a match which witnessed the birth of a new star - John McEnroe, who will then go on to take his revenge in the following year’s final.

Image courtesy: Ocala Star-Banner - Jan 24, 1983 The loss to McEnroe in the 1981 Wimbledon final was difficult for Borg to grapple with. He walked off the court, and the stadium before the ceremonies had begun. He even evaded the press. May be the thought of being a second best on a surface that he dominated for half a decade was too much for him to come to terms with. Borg apologised to McEnroe for his unprofessional behaviour later. Two months later, he lost the US Open finals to McEnroe once again, and Borg decided to call it quits. He was only 25 then. Although he played a couple of tournaments later, 1981 US Open was his last Grand Slam final. He confirmed the retirement reports in 1983, blaming lack of motivation for his decision. The rules were getting stricter and Borg found it hard to give his 100 percent to his profession. He also wanted to enjoy a life outside tennis. The legendary player’s life metamorphosised following his untimely retirement.

News about bankruptcy, tax evasion, broken marriage and suicide attempt replaced the headlines he made as an invincible sportsperson. Borg’s life was also an example of the roller coaster ride of life. Fortunately, he was able to overcome his problems in life as he did so in sports. His label Bjorn Borg is one of the leading fashion brands today. Although Sampras and Federer have surpassed Borg when it comes to numbers, they can never be regarded ‘better’ than the ‘Ice-Borg’. Borg had his unique style, and had he not hung up his racket at 25, he could have won a few more titles at Wimbledon. By 25, Sampras had won only three of his seven Wimbledon titles; Federer won four titles at Wimbledon by the time he was 25. Federer still has a chance to win one more title here, and that will make him the all-time best when it comes to numbers. Even then, he can never cast a shadow over Bjorn Borg's greatness. After all, he was Wimbledon’s first love!

Champions Tour - Bjorn Borg – Tennis Players Personal Before he was 21, Bjorn Rune Borg had registered feats that would set him apart as one of the game's greats - and before he was 26, the head-banded, golden-locked Swede was through. No male career of the modern era has been so brief and bright. Tennis is filled with instances of precocious achievements and championships, but none is quite as impressive as those of the seemingly emotionless Borg. Just before his 18th birthday he was the youngest winner of the Italian Championship, and two weeks later he was the youngest winner of the French Championship (a record lowered by Mats Wilander, 17, in 1982, and subsequently by Michael Chang, a younger 17 in 1989). Eighteen months later, at 19, he climaxed a Davis Cup-record winning streak of 19 singles by lifting Sweden to the 1975 Cup for the first time in a 3-2 final-round victory over Czechoslovakia. His Cup singles streak of 33 was intact at his retirement, still a record.

Although Lew Hoad and Ken Rosewall were a few months younger in 1953 when they won the Davis Cup for Australia, both were beaten during the final round. But Borg won both his singles in straight sets, over Jiri Hrebec and the clincher over Jan Kodes, after teaming with Ove Bengtson for the doubles win. Borg's Davis Cup debut at 16 in 1972, as one of the youngest ever in that competition, was phenomenal: A five-set win over seasoned pro Onny Parun of New Zealand. Borg was also the youngest winner of the oldest professional championship, the U.S. Pro, whose singles he took in 1974 at 18 over Tom Okker (and, subsequently, 1975 and 1976). Aaron Krickstein, 16, lowered that record in 1984. A player of great strength and endurance, he had a distinctive and unorthodox style and appearance, bow-legged, yet very fast. His muscular shoulders and well-developed torso gave him the strength to lash at the ball with heavy topspin on both forehand and backhand.

A right-hander, he used a two-handed backhand, adapted from the slap shot in hockey, a game he favored as a child. By the time he was 13 he was beating the best of Sweden's under-18 players and Davis Cup captain Lennart Bergelin cautioned against anyone trying to change Borg's rough-looking, jerky strokes. They were effective. Through 1977 he had never lost to a player younger than himself. Born June 6, 1956, in Sodertalje, Sweden, where he grew up, Bjorn was fascinated by a tennis racket his father had won as a prize in a ping-pong tournament. His father gave him the racket and that was the start. Borg preferred to battle from the baseline, trading groundstrokes tirelessly in long rallies, retrieving and waiting patiently to outlast his opponent. Volleying, with his Western grip forehand and two-fisted backhand, was troublesome, and his serve was not impressive at first. He didn't do much on grass until 1976, when he was determined to win Wimbledon, and did so after devoting himself to two weeks of solid practice on serve-and-volley tactics.

He won the most important tournament without loss of a set, beating favored Ilie Nastase in the final, 6-4, 6-2, 9-7. Borg was the youngest champion of the modern era at 20 years, one month, (until Boris Becker, 17, won in 1985). Borg repeated in 1977, although the tournament was more demanding. His thrilling five-set victories over Americans Vitas Gerulaitis in the semi-finals, and Jimmy Connors in the final were considered two of the best ever played at Wimbledon. By that time Borg had more confidence and proficiency in his volleying. Borg repeated over Connors in 1978, overpoweringly, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3, becoming the first to win three successive years since Fred Perry (1934-36). He made it four in a row with a five-set triumph over American Roscoe Tanner in the 1979 final, thus becoming the first player since Tony Wilding (1910-13) to win four straight years.

His fifth straight Wimbledon championship, in 1980, climaxed with an all-time great final, a 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (16-18), 8-6 triumph over John McEnroe. During one of the most electrifying passages in tennis history; the 34-point tie-breaker, Borg was stymied on five match points and saved six set points before giving way. But his famous resolve brought him through in the brilliantly battled fifth. Borg was now flirting with the ancient Wimbledon record of six straight titles. That was the much less demanding feat of Willie Renshaw (1881-86), who, in the era of the challenge-round format, needed to play only one match to win each of his last five titles. Thus his match-winning streak was only 13. While winning 1980, Borg also surpassed Rod Laver's Wimbledon male match winning-streak record of 31.

Bjorn built that to his own record 41 (Helen Wills Moody won 50 straight between 1927 and 1938) by reaching the 1981 final. There he was finally dethroned by McEnroe, 4-6, 7-6 (7-1), 7-6 (7-4), 6-4. When he won his male record sixth French title in 1981, with another record, his 28th straight match win, over Ivan Lendl, it seemed that Borg, then 25, would surely surpass Roy Emerson's male record of 12 major singles titles (subsequently surpassed by Pete Sampras,14 and Roger Federer, 15). Borg had 11. But he would not win another, remaining tied with Laver. His left-handed nemesis, McEnroe, followed up on Wimbledon by beating Borg in a second successive U.S. Open final to take over the No. 1 ranking that the Swede had held in 1979 and 1980.

That defeat, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4,6-3, effectively ended Borg's career. He won only two more matches, reaching the quarters of Monte Carlo in 1982. Shortly after that he retired, having won 62 singles (of 88 finals) and four pro career doubles titles, including the Masters of 1979-80, and $3,655,751. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987. Nevertheless, he did try comebacks in 1991, 1992 and 1993, all unsuccessful. The balletic footwork and marvelous anticipation couldn't be coaxed to return with him, even though others had stayed afloat and earning at 35. He lost eight first-rounders in 1992, three in 1993. Bjorn's parting shot, in Moscow's Kremlin Cup, was as close as he got, holding a match point in a farewell tie-breaker while losing to Alexander Volkov, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(9-7).

Thereafter he confined himself to senior events, renewing his rivalry with Connors, against whom he had been 10-7. He was 7-7 lifetime against McEnroe. The U.S. Open was his particular jinx. He failed to win in 10 tries, losing four finals, 1976 and 1978 to Connors, and 1980 and 1981 to McEnroe. Thrice (1978-79-80) he was halfway to a Grand Slam after victories at the French and Wimbledon only to falter at the three-quarter pole at Flushing Meadow. His career singles win-loss record was 606-123 (.831). MAJOR TITLES (11) - French singles, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979,1980, 1981; Wimbledon singles, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980.

DAVIS CUP - 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980; record: 37-3 in singles, 8-8 in doubles. SINGLES RECORD IN THE MAJORS - Australian (1-1), French (49-2), Wimbledon (51-4), US.(40-10). - Bio Courtesy Bud Collins Tennis Players That Changed the Game: John McEnroe | Bleacher Report Tennis Players That Changed the Game: John McEnroe R L Senior Analyst INovember 27, 2016 "You cannot be serious." The famous John McEnroe quote was directed toward umpires that made calls during his matches. Not all the time, just when he disagreed with a decision. McEnroe was well known for getting fired up and having a bad temper. At the same time, he was one of the greatest tennis players in the 1980's. McEnroe reached the finals of Wimbledon in 1980 for the first time, where he took on Bjorn Borg.

As I mentioned in my piece about Borg, the two had some classic matches. Fans booed John at the start of the match because he got into a little conflict with officials during his semifinal match against Jimmy Connors. The American won a tough fourth-set tiebreaker, 18-16. However, Borg was able to prevail in the fifth set and win the title. McEnroe defeated the Swede at the U.S Open that year and the following year to get a little payback. Those two victories contributed to his three straight U.S Open wins from 1979 to 1981. He also defeated Borg in the 1981 Wimbledon final, but lost to Connors in the following year's championship. From 1980 to 1984, McEnroe made the finals of Wimbledon and was the victor on three occasions. That includes a win against Connors in the 84 final—exacting some revenge. The same year, he came closest to winning the French Open in his career. McEnroe was up two sets to love against Ivan Lendl.

Conditioning turned out to be a killer for John, as Lendl stormed back to win in five sets through some rough temperature. Like it always seemed, the American got his payback against Lendl in the U.S Open final that year. The Czechoslovakian (at the time) had the last laugh though. He defeated John in straight sets at the 1985 U.S Open final—McEnroe's last major singles final. It was 1984 when he showcased his talent the most. He compiled an 82-3 record and appeared in the finals of three majors (winning Wimbledon and the U.S Open, but losing the French Open). The pressure of being the top player got to him in 1986. He took a leave of absence and returned six months later. Still, he wasn't able to regain the form that saw him dominate at times in his career. On 14 separate occasions between 1980 and 1985, he was ranked the top player and finished the year ranked No. 1 for four straight years (1981 to 1984). McEnroe also won nine Grand Slam doubles tournaments—seven with Peter Fleming.

A big part of his game was the serve-and-volley. He could hit serves down the line or slice them out wide. Combine this with some great shot placing, an attacking style of play, and incredible reflexes when facing a serve, and you've got yourself one of the greatest to ever play the game of tennis. I don't know if anyone ever played with as much emotion as John. His anger and impatience with the umpires had to fuel him during his greatest matches. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1999. Top 5 U.S. Open Finals: No. 1, McEnroe d. Borg | TENNIS.com Top 5 U.S. Open Finals: No. 1, McEnroe d. Borg by: Richard Pagliaro September 09, 2012 As we approach this year's U.S. Open finals, we count down the five best tussles for the title. (Disagree? Comment below.) 1980: (2) John McEnroe d.

(1) Bjorn Borg, 7-6 (4), 6-1, 6-7 (5), 5-7, 6-4 Air space above Louis Armstrong Stadium wasn't confined to passing planes—when McEnroe beat back Borg's comeback bid to successfully defend his U.S. Open title, a sky-high Mac was ready for lift-off. "For that one moment in time when the match ends and you realize you've won the U.S. Open, the feeling is so incredible, you really do feel like you can fly," McEnroe told TENNIS.com. "It's an amazing moment." Often overshadowed by their 1980 Wimbledon final classic, this rematch months later was another five-set thriller. McEnroe, who battled back from a set down to beat Ivan Lendl in a four-set quarterfinal, then fought past Jimmy Connors, 6-4, 5-7, 0-6, 6-3, 7-6, in a four hour, 17-minute street fight of a semifinal, dug in to beat back Borg's challenge and successfully defend his title.

It was not Mac at his brilliant best—his superlative 1984 performance in which he went 82-3 and won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open remains one of the peak seasons in Open Era history—but the New Yorker regards his 1980 triumph in his hometown as perhaps his proudest moment on the court. "That was my best overall tournament because I had to play Lendl in the quarters on Thursday, I played doubles Friday, and I beat Connors, 7-6, in the fifth, on Saturday," McEnroe told TENNIS.com. "So the fact that after blowing a two-sets-to-love lead I was still able to win that title, that was one of my best accomplishments in terms of my conditioning and will power to go the distance. I'm not going to tell you the quality of it was as good as the next year, or '84 when I felt like I was playing my best tennis. But overall, in terms of the pride I take from it, I definitely think that [1980] was the best one." Four-time U.S.

Open finalist Borg never got across the finish line in New York, losing to McEnroe in the '81 final in what would be his Grand Slam farewell. "People said I had trouble in New York, but I enjoyed playing there and made the finals," Borg said. "I feel I played some good tennis at the U.S. Open, but it [winning the title] never happened for me. But John was just the better player in those finals and deserved to win." Losing the gut-wrenching Wimbledon final to Borg less than a month earlier fueled McEnroe's intensity and infused him with confidence that he possessed the pattern to beat Borg in New York. Realizing Borg's return positioning several feet behind the baseline created access to angles, McEnroe knew if he could slice his lefty serve out wide to drag Borg off the court, the speedy Swede could have been the world's fastest human and he still wouldn't be able to cover the court when Mac swooped in for a sharp-angled volley. Watch the video clip to see some of McEnroe's front-court acrobatics in action. "Obviously, I just lost the Wimbledon final in five sets.

I felt like hopefully I had learned from my mistakes going into the Open final," McEnroe told TENNIS.com. "It's nice when it happens. You feel like you won't panic and that you have enough left. Bjorn was one of the fittest players our sport has ever seen. I feel like I added that little one or two percent conditioning to allow me to get through and win it—instead of losing 8-6 in the fifth again." History - 1970s - The Championships, Wimbledon 2017 - Official Site by IBM READ MORE 1970: Margaret Court v Billie Jean King: Margaret Court and Billie Jean King contested one of the great Wimbledon finals in 1970. As veteran commentator John Barrett has said, "It produced one of the most dramatic finals ever seen at Wimbledon." The fact it was televised in colour rather than black and white added to the spectacle while also underlining the changing times of a sport that only two years earlier had turned professional.

1970: John Newcombe v Ken Rosewall: John Newcombe defeated his Australian countryman Ken Rosewall and a partisan crowd 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 to win the men’s singles for a second time. From the start the elegant Rosewall, the underdog, had the Centre Court crowd behind for everyone hoped that this, his third appearance in a final, would be his year having previously been the gallant runner-up in 1954 and 1956. The 16-year gap set a record-breaking span between his first and this year’s final, one that was so appreciated by the crowd that it led Newcombe to ask ‘why do they hate me?’ With a nine-year age gap between the two, it was always going to be difficult for the 35-year-old Rosewall to outlast the younger former champion and his play proved patchy as Newcombe exploited his weaknesses with his power and guile to level and take a two-sets-to-one lead.

Rosewall recovered in the fourth, helped by Newcombe’s brief loss of concentration and the clear favouritism being shown to the older player, but regained his composure to inflict a quick coup de grace over his tiring compatriot in the fifth. 1971: Evonne Goolagong v Margaret Court: The highlight of the Ladies’ singles was the final clash between Margaret Court and Evonne Goolagong, an all-Australian encounter, which will be perceived as the end of one era and the start of another. Goolagong, at 19, had captured the tennis world’s hearts on her second appearance at The Championships with her breezy, easy-going style and sunny smile, which contrasted greatly with the quiet and dignified defending champion Court. While the Aussie teenager arrived in the final having taken out the previous year’s runner-up, Billie Jean King, in three sets, no one expected her to also get the better of the big-hitting defending champion. The die was cast from the opening exchanges as Court surprisingly, showed more nerves than her challenger who immediately raced to a 4-0 lead with ultimate ease.

However, Court drew on her experience and clawed her way back to 3-4 but in the eighth game, with Goolagong 15-40 down, she was unable to capitalise and level as the teenager struck three searing winners to completely deflate the champion. Goolagong showed no anxiety in her free-flowing shots to claim six successive games and take the title 6-4 6-1 to become only the fourth teenager to win the women’s singles since the war. 1971: Ken Rosewall: Classic or epic matches are measured by the numbers watching a struggle to the death and the Ken Rosewall v Cliff Ritchie clash at the quarter-final stage of the 1971 Championships falls firmly into that category. Australia’s Rosewall and Ritchie of the US battled it out for 3hrs 59mins before Rosewall captured the semi-final place at stake, 6-8, 5-7, 6-4, 9-7, 7-5, recovering from two sets down and trailing 2-4 and 0-30 in the third.

As the scoreline suggests, Richie the hustler from America, had the match well in hand but failed to maintain his supremacy as Rosewall’s doggedness started to pay dividends. From a near hopeless position, Rosewall levelled and went on to score an excellent victory with one of his trademark backhands, passing an attacking Ritchie attempting to stave off a fifth match point. While the victory was popular, the crowd rose in appreciation to acclaim both protagonists’ efforts. 1972: Stan Smith v Ilie Nastase Rain, the first of the fortnight, washed out Saturday play and for the first time in the history of The Championships, the men’s final was played out on the Sunday to the dismay of traditionalists. Stan Smith, the tall upright American and top seed, faced the crowd’s favourite, Ilie Nastase, the Romanian court jester seeded second, and between them, they entertained the crowd with a classic final. Having made his last racket change in the fourth game of the fourth set, Nastase became hyper matching Smith stroke for stroke from the back of the court, dominating the net and showing remarkable determination to level the match.

In the decider both players defended stoutly to prevent their opponent to capitalise on their chances but in the 12th game, Smith forced his challenger to net a high backhand volley and concede the final after 164 minutes, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 on his fourth match point in what proved to be the closest final since 1933 when Jack Crawford (Aus) beat the title-holder Ellsworth Vines (USA). 1973: The Strike In Britain strikes had always been industrial disputes - until 1973, that is, when most of the men's field at Wimbledon withdrew their labour in the most sensational move in the history of The Championships. As with most disputes, it concerned who was top dog. And in this respect Wimbledon was caught in the middle of a confrontation between the then International Lawn Tennis Federation (now ITF) and the newly-formed players "union", the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). There had already been some flexing of muscles over who ran what, and further turmoil broke out over the Yugoslav number one, Nikki Pilic.

He was suspended by his national association, who alleged he had refused to play in a Davis Cup tie. The suspension, supported by the ILTF, meant that Pilic would not be permitted to play at Wimbledon. Ultimately 79 players, including 13 of the original 16 seeds, withdrew. The final was an anti-climax as Czech Jan Kodes, already twice a winner of the French Open, swept aside Alex Metreveli, the first Russian to reach a Wimbledon Gentlemen's final, 6-1, 9-8, 6-3. The drama was over. And so was the strike. 1974: Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert There were two factors in particular which were unique about the 1974 Championships. The titles were won by an engaged couple, Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert, both of the United States, and in playing terms they attracted particular attention because both were double-fisted on the backhand side.

In the end, the opponent Connors had to worry about was the 39-year-old Australian, Ken Rosewall, who stunned the field and captivated the crowd by reaching the final for the fourth time - and 20 years after his first appearance in the final. There was little doubt that the sentiments of the crowd at the final swung towards Rosewall who, clearly, had earned his last chance of winning the title. But Connors raced through to title 6-1, 6-1, 6-4 against an opponent who was obviously tired after the rigours of the previous two rounds. Chris Evert had already been a semi-finalist at her first Wimbledon in 1972, losing to Evonne Goolagong and a finalist in 1973, losing to Billie Jean King. She was due to play them in sequence in 1974 but both were beaten in earlier matches. Evert had never lost to Russian Olga Morozova so went into the final full of confidence. She won the title for the first time with victory by 6-0, 6-4.

The bookmakers had quoted odds of 33-1 on a "love double" for the engaged couple. In the end, Connors and Evert did not marry. 1975: Arthur Ashe wins Wimbledon The 1975 Gentlemen's final pitted the brash, abrasive and sometimes uncouth defending champion and No.1 seed, Jimmy Connors, against Arthur Ashe, seeded sixth and tennis's ultimate gentleman. It proved to be one of Wimbledon's greatest finals. Ashe hooked his serve wide to the two-handed backhand of his left-handed opponent and he took pace off his pounding, often error-producing ground-strokes. More importantly, Ashe exploited Connors' weakness - the low forehand. Time and again he caressed a shot that forced Connors to dig a reply out of the turf. Ashe did not just create the game plan, he stuck to it superbly, winning the first two sets 6-1, 6-1. Connors, a player renowned for his never-say-die attitude was not prepared to give his title up easily and took the third set, 7-5.

The fourth set found Connors with an early break-up 3-0 before Ashe won six of the next seven games to take the final set 6-4 and become the first black male to win the Gentlemen's Singles Championship at Wimbledon. 1976: Bjorn Borg v Ilie Nastase: At 20 years and 17 days, Bjorn Borg, became the third youngest men’s singles champion and the youngest since 1931 in what was also the first all-European final since 1936 when Fred Perry beat Gottfried von Cramm. Despite nursing a slight stomach muscle strain, Borg, the fourth seed, required just 1hr and 50mins to dispatch Ilie Nastase 6-4 6-2 9-7 in what was a one-sided contest on a sultry day in SW19. The ever popular Nastase, the third seed and title favourite, arrived in the final having brushed aside all opposition without the loss of a set only to run into a player on the verge of making tennis history.

Borg’s ferociously struck top-spin forehands successfully blunted Nastase’s attacking game, as did the Swede’s speed about the court and his defensive play, which left few opportunities for the 29-year-old to prevent defeat in the final for a second time in five years. Having saved a match point in the 10th game, Nastase took a 6-5 lead only to be frustrated yet again by some weak play on his part, thus allowing Borg to raise the golden trophy for the first time in his blossoming career. 1976: The rise of Chris Evert: Fittingly the 1976 Women’s Singles final saw the year’s best two players facing each other, namely from America, the determined, technically sound and gifted Chris Evert against Australia’s athletic, naturally talented and graceful stroke player, Evonne Goolagong Cawley. In what had been a scorching fortnight, the favourite for the crown was the popular Cawley but on the day the greater determination of the ice-maiden Evert proved too much for the more laidback approach of the Australian.

From the beginning Evert looked to have the edge but with the final level at a set-all and Cawley leading 2-0, the pendulum looked to have swung her way, but Evert broke back and slowly regained the initiative by breaking up her opponent’s game and coming to the net, much to Cawley’s surprise. The accuracy of her passing shots also took their toll and after just over two hours of competitive play, the American claimed her second Wimbledon singles crown, 6-3, 4-6, 8-6, leaving the Australian to rue missed opportunities and accept the runners-up spot for a second consecutive year. 1977: Virginia Wade: Although Virginia Wade had won the US Open in 1968, the Australian Open in 1972 and was twice a Wimbledon semi-finalist in 1974 and 1976, the consensus was that she was past her peak and at 31, far older than exciting new talents such as America's Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova (then of Czechoslavakia, later USA) and Britain's Sue Barker. However, Wade's victory couldn't have been scripted any better.

Wade was a British player winning the Ladies' Championship in Wimbledon's centenary year, in front of the Queen during her Silver Jubilee year in 1977. As Wade stood alongside the Queen, clutching the Venus Rosewater Dish she was at the epicentre of one of Britain's greatest sporting moments. Wade later said: "The atmosphere was phenomenal. I've never experienced anything like that in England other than football's 1966 World Cup. The place went absolutely crazy. It was a cauldron of excitement and celebration. It was humbling in a way. You immersed yourself in it and then you realised the reason for it was because you'd won. I had become a part of a major celebration." Although her final victory against Betty Stove (Netherlands) 4-6 6-3 6-1 ensured Wade the coveted crown, she picked out her semi-final win over defending champion Chris Evert as the high point of that Championships. 1977: The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum: Over the years Wimbledon has been good at marking occasions and there was no better way to celebrate 100 years of tennis than opening a Museum on its grounds during the Club’s Centenary celebrations.

The Wimbledon Museum and its associated Lord Ritchie Library, was officially opened on 20th May, 1977 by HRH, The Duke of Kent, and over the years, has become a major London tourist attraction in its own right. From the outset, the Wimbledon Museum was determined to cover all aspects of tennis from its origins, through all the developments to the present day and as far as possible, the future. In addition, special exhibitions highlighting specific areas like ‘tennis fashion through the ages’, were organised to provide additional visitor attractions. The Museum, originally situated above the old debenture holders restaurant, was designed by Robin Wade and provided a stark contrast to the fustian image of other ‘museums’ to quickly become a must visit for tennis enthusiasts. 1977: Bjorn Borg v Vitas Gerulaitis: Once in a while a tennis match will reach its climax with both players utterly convinced they are going to win until the last stroke of the rally. Such was the case when Bjorn Borg met Vitas Gerulaitis in the Wimbledon semi-finals in 1977.

The pair, great friends, practice partners, both possessing blond flowing locks, although Gerulaitis didn't have the beard, sparred over five thrilling sets as Gerulaitis twice came back from a set down. Missing a match point as he scuppered a simple backhand down the line, he eventually went down 6-8 in the fifth set in the Centre Court twilight. "I'm surprised I had it in me to play that well, and I'm completely choked I lost," Gerulaitis said afterwards. Borg went on to win the match and claim the second of his five Wimbledon titles against Jimmy Connors in the final. 1977: Bjorn Borg v Jimmy Connors: The Bjorn Borg-Jimmy Connors final in the Centenary Year of The Championships provided a more than suitable climax to what had been a somewhat controversial start to the celebrations. That final saw the two champions remorselessly battling it out, on fast grass, from the back of the court in what in hindsight, could be deemed the start of the baseline era.

It was the first time these two great champions had met on grass with Borg pulling ahead to lead two sets to one by deploying less spin, hitting flatter deliveries and mixing in a series of nothing balls. But the Viking’s iron concentration wavered and the American came storming back to force a decider. Crucially, Connors raised his own game to draw level at 4-all in the fifth set but a double fault at 15-love, only his second of the match, proved pivotal for he then failed to win another point as a weary Borg closed the match out 3-6 6-2 6-1 5-7 6-4 after three hours and 14 minutes of gruelling play. 1977: John McEnroe v Jimmy Connors: John McEnroe has often said that he did not choose tennis as his pursuit. Tennis found him. And that moment, when he shot on to the scene as a pale, unathletic looking 18-year-old in Wimbledon 1977, was the turning point.

Runner-up at the 18&U national junior championships, and ranked No.270 in the world, he earned the chance to play the Wimbledon qualifying tournament. Two weeks later, he found himself in the semi-finals against Jimmy Connors. Aged 18 years and four months, McEnroe became the youngest semi-finalist in 100 years of The Championships when he defeated Phil Dent in the quarter-finals, simultaneously becoming the first qualifier to reach the semi-finals. Luring Connors into errors by varying the pace of the game, McEnroe unleashed a series of backhands to take the third set, and dent the world No.1's pride. The turning point of the match came in the seventh game of the fourth set, McEnroe fending off two break points before Connors finally broke and served out the match. The life of John McEnroe would never be the same again. 1980: Chris Evert v Martina Navratilova All along, the talk of Wimbledon 1978 had been about defending champion Martina Navratilova and Tracy Austin, the top two seeds.

But Chris Evert, or Chris Evert-Lloyd as she was then, floated through the draw free from the Centre Court scrutiny that can sometimes make winning a major tennis title so agonising. When she met her erstwhile rival Navratilova, in the semi-finals, the latter seemed more frustrated than tired. Not even the traditional spit-kiss on each cheek that her mother, Jana, had given her before each match during the last two years, a Czech good-luck custom, could keep her volleys in the court. Alongside the 37 other matches that the two stars of the game had contested, it was not a well-played match. Even Navratilova's mother told her in the locker-room, "you played bad". But to Evert's credit, she fought her way into the match, eventually triumphing 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in a reverse of their two previous Wimbledon encounters, both in the final. 1979: Billie Jean King wins 20th title Immediately after Bjorn Borg won a record fourth successive men's title at Wimbledon, Billie Jean King grabbed the Centre Court spotlight by becoming the most prolific Wimbledon winner.

The 35-year-old partnered singles champion Martina Navratilova to win the women's doubles final 5-7 6-3, 6-2 against Australia's Wendy Turnbull and Holland's Betty Stove. It gave King the 20th title she had been chasing for four years. Since winning the singles title for the sixth time in 1975, the American had shared the record of 19 titles with Elizabeth Ryan, who, in a bizarre twist of fate, died 24 hours before King surpassed her in the record books. "It seemed she didn't want to see her record broken," King said. "Although she told me that if anyone was going to break it, she hoped it would be me. Right from my early days, Elizabeth was always around watching the juniors and one felt her presence." King's 20 Championships are made up of six singles titles, 10 doubles titles and four mixed doubles titles.

Question: Which Tennis player lost to Bjorn Borg in two Wimbledon finals?
Answer: JIMMY CONNORS